The Trump administration will withdraw all of the approximately 2,000 American troops in Syria, according to a U.S. official, as the White House declared victory Wednesday in the mission to defeat Islamic State militants there.
Time

Tennessee Republican U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn has partnered with a Democratic lawmaker in asking President Donald Trump to protect Kurdish troops as the U.S. military withdraws from Syria.

Blackburn, a conservative freshman senator and ardent supporter of Trump, co-signed the letter with U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Illinois.

The former Tennessee congressman was elected this November to retired U.S. Sen. Bob Corker's seat.

Syrian Democratic forces standing near U.S military vehicles on the outskirts of Manbij, Syria.(Photo11: AP)

Blackburn and Duckworth urged the president to develop a strategy to protect Kurdish militia and other troops in the Syrian Democratic Forces in light of Trump's decision last month to order the removal of more than 2,000 U.S. troops from the war-torn country.

"Abandoning friends and doing nothing to prevent their slaughter would undermine the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS and jeopardize our nation’s honor," the two lawmakers wrote in the letter.

In a statement about the letter, Blackburn said the protection of Kurdish allies was "in the national security interest of the United States" and called them a "reliable partner in the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS."

A member of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), backed by US special forces, talks on the radio near Raqa's stadium as they clear the last positions on the frontline on Oct. 16, 2017 in the Islamic State (IS) group jihadists crumbling stronghold. US-backed fighters battled hundreds of Islamic State group jihadists holed up in the last pockets of Syria's Raqa, as the former extremist stronghold stood on the verge of capture.(Photo11: Bulent Kilic, AFP/Getty Images)

Opposition to troop withdrawal

Former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, who had previously said U.S. troops should remain in Syria to keep the region stable amid peace negotiations, resigned after Trump's decision, saying he feared ISIS "could have an opportunity to revive" as a result.

Republican Sens. Marco Rubio of Florida and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina also were among those to immediately voice opposition to news of the withdrawal plans.

In their letter to Trump, Blackburn and Duckworth asked the White House to quickly develop and implement a plan to protect the SDF, as well as provide regular updates to Congress about its strategy.

Reach Natalie Allison at nallison@tennessean.com. Follow her on Twitter at @natalie_allison.